Delmarva Power plans $71 million upgrade in Delaware

The power company will rebuild a 58-mile long transmission line that runs between its substations in all three Delaware counties.

Work will start next June on the 230,000-volt transmission line, which Delmarva officials note is nearly 50 years old.

The first segment slated for repair runes from the Red Lion substation in southern New Castle County to the Cedar Creek substation in Kent County. That phase of the project will start in June 2015 and is expected to be completed in December 2016.

The next phase will rebuild the line from Cedar Creek to the Milford substation in Sussex County. Work on this segment will begin in June 2016 and is expected to be completed in December 2017.

“The rebuilt transmission line will help avoid extended power outages, should there be a major problem with transmission and generation infrastructure,” said Gary Stockbridge, Delmarva Power’s region president.

Throughout the project, workers will remove more than 400 wooden poles that range from 65 to 100 feet tall. Those poles will be replaced with weathering steel poles that are 110 to 140 feet high. According to Delmarva Power, the steel poles are more durable and eliminate the need for repainting.